Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy

Unfair Dismissal: Ethnic Groups

Lord Taylor of Warwick: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the risk of increased vulnerability of BAME individuals to unfair employment dismissals; and what plans they have to strengthen unfair dismissal legislation.

Lord Callanan: There are laws in place to ensure fair procedure in redundancy and dismissal matters and to protect against discrimination. Employees who consider that their dismissal was unfair can complain to an employment tribunal, generally subject to a qualifying period of two years of continuous service. If an employee has been unlawfully discriminated against, there is no such qualifying period. The Government collects data on claims to employment tribunals, but this is not disaggregated by the specific characteristics of the claimant.

Summertime

Lord Vinson: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to extendBritish Summer Time; and what assessment they have made of the impact of any such extension on (1) energy consumption, and(2) businessproductivity.

Lord Callanan: The Government believes that the current daylight-saving arrangements represent the optimal use of the available daylight across the UK. We do not believe there is sufficient evidence to support changing the current system of clock changes, including for energy usage. An exceptionally wide-ranging cost benefit analysis would need to be performed to inform a decision on changing the current system, especially given the uncertainty that many businesses are already facing as a result of COVID-19.

Fossil Fuels

Lord Jones of Cheltenham: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the impact that ceasing to use fossil fuels would have on (1) controlling climate change, and (2) preventing the extinction of species.

Lord Callanan: Ceasing emissions from the use of fossil fuels would substantially reduce future warming, however continued emissions from other sectors, including agriculture, cement and waste, would still result in rising temperatures, albeit at a slower rate of warming. If we reach net zero carbon dioxide emissions across all sectors, and stabilise or reduce emissions of short lived greenhouse gases such as methane, then at that point, our best current understanding is that warming would cease. There is a strong scientific consensus that climate change is impacting on biodiversity, including contributing to species extinction, and that tackling global warming would have significant benefits for the natural world. Those impacts are predicted to grow substantially without action to limit future warming.

Public Sector Decarbonisation Scheme

Baroness Benjamin: To ask Her Majesty's Government what was the total value of applications to the Public Sector Decarbonisation Scheme received before that scheme was closed to new applications on 11 January.

Lord Callanan: The total value of applications received to the Public Sector Decarbonisation Scheme was £2.4 billion.

Public Sector Decarbonisation Scheme

Baroness Benjamin: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many applications were received from schools for the Public Sector Decarbonisation Scheme; and what was the value of any suchapplications.

Lord Callanan: 711 applications were received in total from schools and academies for the Public Sector Decarbonisation Scheme. These have a combined value of £429 million.

Public Sector Decarbonisation Scheme

Baroness Benjamin: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to provide funding to organisations which were unsuccessful in their application to the Public Sector Decarbonisation Scheme.

Lord Callanan: My Rt hon Friend the Prime Minister’s ten point plan for a green industrial revolution, announced in November 2020, includes a commitment for further funding for the Public Sector Decarbonisation Scheme in the 2021/22 financial year. Further information will be announced in due course.

Green Homes Grant Scheme

Lord Grantchester: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many builders have been (1) accredited for, and (2) turned down for accreditation by, the Green Homes Grant Scheme.

Lord Callanan: The Green Homes Grant scheme opened for installer applications on 30 September. As of 04 February, the total number of installers registered with the scheme was 911. Official scheme statistics will be published in due course.

Green Homes Grant Scheme

Lord Grantchester: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many applications for the Green Homes Grant scheme have been turned down by International Climate Finance because they were unable to verify the identity of the applicant.

Lord Callanan: Verifying the identity of applicants is part of ensuring applications contain sufficient evidence for approval and that government funding is spent appropriately. Under the Green Homes Grant, additional information may be sought from customers when processing applications in order to progress them. More vouchers are being issued every day. Official scheme statistics will be published in due course.

Fossil Fuels

Lord Jones of Cheltenham: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they plan to set a target for eliminating the use of fossil fuels by the UK; and if not, why not.

Lord Callanan: The Government is committed to acting on climate change by reducing our emissions to net zero by 2050. As part of this we must move away from fossil fuels and towards cleaner energy sources. This is why we are one of the first countries to commit to ending unabated coal generation, which we intend to do by 2024, subject to consultation. Closing our remaining coal plants by this date would mean that in 10 years we have reduced our reliance on unabated coal generation from almost a third of our electricity supply to zero. Our Energy White Paper, published last December set out plans for the transformation of our energy system as we move towards fully decarbonised electricity generation by 2050, including working with the oil and gas sector to transform the UK Continental Shelf to be a net zero basin by 2050. As these fossil fuels play a smaller role in our energy mix over time, the government will agree a North Sea Transition Deal to deliver new business opportunities, jobs and skills and protect the wider communities which rely on the sector. My Rt hon Friend the Prime Minister’s Ten Point Plan further demonstrates the government’s commitment to investing in clean technologies as we move away from fossil fuels. Ahead of COP26, we will set out further plans for decarbonising key sectors across the economy, culminating in a Net Zero Strategy which sets out our vision for the transition to 2050.

Department of Health and Social Care

Coronavirus: Nottinghamshire

Lord Mann: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many people have been tested for COVID-19 in Nottinghamshire since the announcement of mass COVID-19 testingin that county.

Lord Bethell: We do not publish data in the format requested.

NHS Test and Trace: Police

Lord Scriven: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they plan to publish the memorandum of understanding between the Department of Health and Social Care and the National Police Chiefs Council, which allows police to access NHS Test and Trace data; and if so, when.

Lord Bethell: The Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between the Department and the police is currently being updated to reflect amendments to the Health Protection (Coronavirus, Restrictions) (Self-Isolation) (England) Regulations 2020 on 29 January and feedback from the Information Commissioners Office. These updates are currently being agreed by all parties and the MoU will be published as soon as practically possible.

Liothyronine

Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: To ask Her Majesty's Government what progress they have made in reducing the price charged for Liothyronine (T3).

Lord Bethell: Liothyronine is an unbranded generic medicine. The Department relies on competition between suppliers of unbranded generic medicines to keep prices down. Concerns about potential drug pricing abuses are a matter for the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA). With regards to liothyronine, in 2016 the CMA opened its investigation into allegations that the National Health Service was charged excessive and unfair prices for liothyronine by Advanz. In July 2020 it issued a supplementary statement of objections stating that the CMA continues provisionally to find that Advanz breached United Kingdom and European Union competition law from at least 1 January 2009 to at least 31 July 2017 by charging excessive and unfair prices for liothyronine in the UK.Liothyronine was previously a single source generic product. However, several marketing authorisations have been granted for liothyronine since 2016 and the reimbursement price has slowly been reducing as a direct response to more competition in the market.

Brain: Tumours

Lord Crisp: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the level of research being undertaken into the (1) prevention, and (2) treatment, of brain tumours.

Lord Bethell: More research is needed on brain cancer. This is a challenging area as the research community is relatively small. We announced £40 million over five years as part of the Tessa Jowell Brain Cancer Mission. The planned designation of Tessa Jowell Centres of Excellence will be a major step forwards in enhancing both treatment and research for people with brain cancer.

Contraceptives: Females

Baroness Grey-Thompson: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the (1) costs, and (2) benefits, of providing women with post-delivery contraception; and what plans they have to include such provision in their sexual and reproductive health strategy.

Lord Bethell: In 2018, Public Health England (PHE) made an Economic Analysis Estimation of the Return on Investment (ROI) for publicly funded contraception in England. This cost-benefit analysis showed a significant ROI of publicly funded contraception, £9 for every £1 invested over 10 years. PHE is developing an extension of the original ROI tool to estimate the specific ROI of post-delivery contraception provision, which will be published in spring 2021.The Government plans to publish a sexual and reproductive health strategy in 2021. Whilst details of the scope and objectives will be announced in due course, improving access to contraception will be a key theme of the new strategy.

Gambling: Females

Baroness Armstrong of Hill Top: To ask Her Majesty's Government what researchthey have commissioned into the most common pathways to gambling disorder for women.

Lord Bethell: Public Health England is currently carrying out an evidence review on the prevalence, determinants and harms associated with gambling, and the social and economic burden of gambling-related harms. This includes reviewing the evidence on young people, men and women. The review is expected to be completed in March 2021.

Coronavirus: Vitamin D

Baroness Masham of Ilton: To ask Her Majesty's Government what research they are (1) undertaking, or (2) supporting, into (a) the use, and (b) the benefits, of taking vitamin D supplements to help people who are susceptible to (i) COVID-19, (ii) the long term effects of COVID-19, and (iii) osteoporosis, to keep well.

Lord Bethell: Existing United Kingdom vitamin D recommendations are based on advice from the Scientific Advisory Committee on Nutrition (SACN). The SACN carried out an extensive and robust assessment of the evidence on vitamin D and a wide range of musculoskeletal and non-musculoskeletal health outcomes, including fractures and falls which are a consequence of osteoporosis. The SACN recommended a reference nutrient intake of 10 micrograms vitamin D per day for adults and children over the age of one year.Public Health England (PHE), the SACN and the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) concluded that there is currently not enough evidence to support taking vitamin D solely to prevent or treat COVID-19. The expert panel supported current Government advice for everyone to take a daily 10 microgram supplement throughout the autumn and winter for bone and muscle health. NICE, PHE and the SACN are continuing to monitor evidence as it is published and will review and update guidance if necessary.

Gambling: Rehabilitation

Lord Foster of Bath: To ask Her Majesty's Government what treatments are available for women affected by gambling addiction; and what assessment have they made, if any, of the percentage of women gamblers receiving treatment.

Lord Bethell: The NHS Long Term Plan committed to expanding the geographical coverage of treatment services by opening up to 15 specialist problem gambling clinics by 2023/24. Gambleaware commissions the National Gambling Treatment Service which offers a wide range of treatment services for gambling related harms, including for women.The Government does not hold centrally information on the number of women gamblers receiving treatment.

Infectious Diseases: Livestock Industry

Lord Jones of Cheltenham: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of (1) the number of novel infectious diseases in humans that have resulted from industrial animal farming practices over the past 10 years, and (2) the risk of future human pandemics emerging from zoonotic diseases.

Lord Bethell: In the past decade, approximately 75% of newly emerging infections have been of zoonotic origin. While this does not identify the exact number of novel infectious diseases in humans that have resulted from industrial animal farming practices, the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, the Animal and Plant Health Agency and the Health and Safety Executive conduct routine surveillance on farms for zoonotic pathogens.The Government has procedures in place to risk assess novel pathogens and their potential impact on human health. This is led by specialist groups, such as the Human Animal Infections and Risk Surveillance group and the Advisory Committee for Dangerous Pathogens, who produce and publish expert-authored risk assessments. These risk assessments support the United Kingdom’s response system for infectious disease outbreaks, which focuses on minimising the impact of infectious diseases, including zoonotic diseases associated with farming and farming products, on human health and consequently the risk of future human pandemics.

Department for Education

Teachers: Training

Baroness Donaghy: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have (1) to maintain the stability of the teacher supply in the Initial Teacher Training system, and (2) to uphold the quality of teacher education.

Baroness Berridge: The department has been working hard to increase the number of teachers entering the profession. Throughout the COVID-19 outbreak, teachers have been celebrated for their role in continuing to support children. Measures have been taken to maintain the stability of teacher supply throughout the COVID-19 outbreak by working closely with the sector to support teacher training providers to place trainee teachers in schools as part of their training. The department has relaxed some of the criteria relating to the provision of initial teacher training (ITT) in the 2020/21 academic year, confirmed that trainee teachers are critical workers, and strongly encouraged schools to continue hosting trainees on placement during periods of national or local COVID-19 restrictions.The department has seen a surge in the number of new trainee teachers this year – over 7,000 more than in 2019 – which shows that teaching continues to be an attractive career option.The department is aware that certain subjects continue to be a challenge, so has put in place a range of measures, which include bursaries worth up to £24,000 and scholarships worth up to £26,000, to attract talented trainees to some subjects like chemistry, computing, mathematics, and physics.The department offers subject knowledge enhancement courses to applicants who have the potential to become outstanding teachers but who need to increase their subject knowledge before the Teachers' Standards can be met. The department also continues to run a range of marketing events to attract new trainees; these have all been adapted to run online in response to the outbreak and continue to see high attendance figures.The department is committed to ensuring trainees and early career teachers receive the best training possible. From September 2020, all ITT will incorporate the ITT Core Content Framework (CCF) into well sequenced curricula. The CCF sets out a minimum entitlement of experiences and opportunities that trainees need, so they can enter the profession in the best position possible to teach and support children. This will be followed by a new two year induction from September 2021, supported by the Early Career Framework.On 2 January 2021, the department announced that we are resuming a review of the ITT market, with a focus on how the ITT sector can provide consistently high quality training, in line with the CCF, in a more efficient and effective market.This review will aim to make well informed, evidence based recommendations on how to ensure all trainees are receiving consistent, high quality training, in a way that will maintain capacity to deliver enough trainees, be accessible to candidates, and benefit all schools.

Teachers and Universities

Baroness Donaghy: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to maintain the link between (1) teachers' professional preparation, (2) the autonomy of universities as independent institutions, and (3) the academic freedom of universities' academic staff.

Baroness Berridge: The department has committed to strengthening academic freedom and ensuring our universities are places where free speech can thrive.Academic freedom is a fundamental principle in the English higher education sector, as recognised in the Higher Education and Research Act 2017 and other legislation, allowing academic staff to question and test received wisdom and put forward new ideas and controversial or unpopular opinions without placing themselves in jeopardy of losing their jobs or privileges. Universities are independent and autonomous institutions, but they are also required by law to uphold freedom of speech and academic freedom.In November 2019, we published the new initial teacher training (ITT) Core Content Framework (CCF). The CCF sets a mandatory training entitlement that all ITT must deliver, embedded in the best available and independently verified evidence about effective teaching. This includes content on curriculum planning and sequencing, behaviour management and setting high expectations for all pupils. From September 2020, all ITT courses must encompass the full entitlement described in the CCF into their ITT curricula for all subjects and phases.

Remote Education: Broadband and Computers

Lord Sikka: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they have conducted a survey to ascertain how many school pupils do not have access to (1) a computer, laptop or tablet, and (2) home broadband; and if not, what plans they have to conduct such a survey.

Baroness Berridge: The Government is investing over £400 million to support access to remote education and online social care services, including securing 1.3 million laptops and tablets for disadvantaged children and young people. As of 15 February 2021, over one million laptops and tablets have been delivered to schools, trusts, local authorities and further education providers. Laptops and tablets are owned by schools, trusts, local authorities, or further education providers who can lend these to children and young people who need them most during the current COVID-19 restrictions. The Government is providing this significant injection of laptops and tablets on top of an estimated 2.9 million already owned by schools before the start of the COVID-19 outbreak. The extra provision of laptops and devices is in line with Ofcom’s estimates for the number of pupils who do not have access to a device. Ofcom has estimated that between 1.1 and 1.8 million children do not have access to a device across the whole of the UK. Education is devolved so our programme is just for England.The Department estimated the number of disadvantaged pupils without access to an internet connection using data on pupils eligible for free school meals in each school, taking into consideration that some pupils would already have access to a private internet connection and estimations by Ofcom. Since the start of the COVID-19 outbreak, we have delivered over 60,000 routers to schools, local authorities, and trusts.We have conducted surveys with schools, pupils and parents throughout the COVID-19 outbreak and have collected data on access to technology, which will be published in due course. To support disadvantaged households who rely on a mobile internet connection, the Government has partnered with some of the UK’s leading mobile network operators, to help ensure that families have the data they need to access online educational resources while COVID-19 requires children to learn from home.In partnership with mobile network operators, the Department is providing a service for schools if they have identified families who do not have a broadband connection and need free mobile data uplifts to engage in remote education.Following a successful pilot, the offer is now available for schools across England to request free mobile data uplifts for disadvantaged children via the Get Help with Technology service.

Teachers: Training

Baroness Donaghy: To ask Her Majesty's Government when they plan to have the Initial Teacher Training Core Content Framework (1) fully implemented, and (2) tested; and whether that Framework will be independently assessed.

Baroness Berridge: The initial teacher training (ITT) Core Content Framework (CCF) published in November 2019 sets out a mandatory training entitlement, embedded in the best, independently verified evidence about quality teaching, which all ITT must deliver. This includes content on curriculum planning and sequencing, behaviour management and setting high expectations for all pupils. The CCF can be found at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/initial-teacher-training-itt-core-content-framework.The department expects the CCF to be fully implemented and we will continue to monitor and assess the effect of the CCF in ensuring high quality ITT, including through the reporting of independent inspections of ITT partnerships conducted by Ofsted. ITT inspections will commence under the revised handbook (published by Ofsted in June 2020) when regular inspections resume. As part of inspections, Ofsted will check each partnership's adherence to the ITT criteria, which requires the full implementation of the CCF for primary and secondary phases. The ITT criteria can be found at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/initial-teacher-training-criteria. The Ofsted framework and handbook for the inspection of ITT partnerships can be found at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/initial-teacher-education-ite-inspection-framework-and-handbook.

Ministry of Justice

Prisoners' Release: Females

The Lord Bishop of Gloucester: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have (1) to record, and (2) to report, on the (a) housing outcomes, and (b) homelessness figures, of female prison leavers as part of the resettlement and reoffending metrics for measuring the success of the Concordat on women in or at risk of contact with the Criminal Justice System.

Lord Wolfson of Tredegar: Relevant data on housing outcomes and homelessness figures for female prison leavers are published annually at the below link, and can be found attached.https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/904935/accommodation-201920.ods. We will refer to these published figures when measuring and reporting on the success of the Concordat on women in or at risk of contact with the Criminal Justice System. The Concordat contains a commitment to describe progress in a “One Year On” report.Table (xlsx, 213.9KB)

Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government

Local Government: Meetings

Baroness Pinnock: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to retain a hybrid system of virtual and physical attendance at local council meetings, includingmeetings of council committees and full council meetings,after the COVID-19 national restrictions are lifted.

Lord Greenhalgh: The Government keeps all policy under review. To extend the facility for councils to continue to meet remotely, or in hybrid form after 7 May 2021 would require primary legislation. We have received representations from local authorities and sector representative organisations making the case for the continuation of remote meetings beyond 7 May 2021 and are carefully considering next steps in this area.

Equality: Travellers

Baroness Whitaker: To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to implement the undertakings they made in their response to the House of Commons' Women and Equalities Committee reportTackling inequalities faced by Gypsy, Roma and Traveller communities,published on 5 April 2019.

Lord Greenhalgh: The Government made a number of commitments across departments in its response to the Committee’s report in July 2019. While the Government’s top priority has been to respond to the unprecedented challenges presented by the Covid-19 pandemic, we are continuing to progress the measures we outlined in our response to the Committee, chief among them our commitment to deliver a cross-government strategy to tackle the inequalities faced by Gypsy, Roma and Traveller communities.In our response to the Committee we committed to tackle inequalities in a number of areas, including education. My department has invested £400,000 into education and training programmes for over 100 Gypsy, Roma and Traveller children and young people, to receive extra tuition to catch up on lost learning during the pandemic, one-to-one support and expert guidance to help them progress in education or find employment.This is in addition to the Department for Education’s National Tutoring Programme, worth £350 million, which will increase access to high-quality tuition for the most disadvantaged young people over the 2020-21 academic year. The Department of Education also recently made the announcement about additional laptops and tablets to be made available in 2021 for schools and colleges.

UK Shared Prosperity Fund

Lord Greaves: To ask Her Majesty's Government when they plan to publish the prospectus for the UK Shared Prosperity Fund.

Lord Greenhalgh: The UK Shared Prosperity Fund (UKSPF) will help to level up and create opportunity across the UK for places most in need, such as ex-industrial areas, deprived towns and rural and coastal communities, and for people who face labour market barriers.In addition, to help local areas prepare over 2021/22 for the introduction of the UKSPF, we will provide additional UK funding to support our communities to pilot programmes and new approaches.The November 2020 Spending Review set out the main strategic elements of the UKSPF in the Heads of Terms.  The Government will publish a UK-wide investment framework in Spring 2021 and confirm multi-year funding profiles at the next Spending Review. Further details on the operation of the additional funding in 2021/22 will be published soon.

Devolution: White Papers

Lord Heseltine: To ask Her Majesty's Government when they intend to publish their devolution white paper.

Lord Greenhalgh: Levelling up all areas of the country remains at the centre of government’s agenda. We want to devolve and decentralise to give more power to local communities, providing an opportunity for all places to level up. That is why we intend to bring forward the Devolution and Local Recovery White Paper in due course. This will cover how the UK government will partner with places across the UK to build a sustainable economic recovery and set out our plans for future devolution arrangements.

Construction: Employment

Lord Jones of Cheltenham: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the impact of labour shortages in the construction industry on (1) their plans to support house building; and (2) costs in the construction sector.

Lord Greenhalgh: The Ministry of Housing Communities and Local Government has regular contact with the housebuilding sector. Since the start of the year developers have not reported any significant labour shortages or cost increases. We continue to monitor as part of our engagements with the sector.The construction industry is responsible for training the workforce it needs. The industry, via its Industry Recovery Plan, is currently focussing on measures to address the pandemic and ensure resilience in the sector as a priority.There is a cross-Government programme to address the construction skills challenge, including the Construction Skills Fund and the new Construction T Levels, which launched in September 2020.The Government has also introduced new financial incentives for employers to hire apprentices and provided £111 million for traineeships, so that firms can continue to provide opportunities for people starting out in their careers in construction and invest in upskilling their workforce.This is in addition to the ongoing work to improve skills provision, support modernisation and increased productivity, and create a fair migration system.

Coal: Cumbria

Lord Judd: To ask Her Majesty's Government why they did not call in the plans for an inquiry into the new coal mine in Cumbria.

Lord Greenhalgh: The Secretary of State’s powers to call in a case are used very selectively, and on 6 January 2021 he decided not to call in this application. The responsibility for determining it is with Cumbria County Council. Further representations to MHCLG when received are carefully considered.

World War II: Genocide

Baroness Deech: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to their report Britain’s Promise to Remember: The Prime Minister’s Holocaust Commission Report, published in January 2015, what progress they have made on implementing the recommendation of that report (1) to set up an endowment fund to secure the long term future of Holocaust education, and (2) create a professorial chair on Holocaust education.

Lord Greenhalgh: The Government has committed up to £75 million towards the establishment of the national Holocaust Memorial and Learning Centre, including £25 million which is to be matched by donations from the Holocaust Memorial Charitable Trust. The UK Holocaust Memorial Foundation will continue to consider all the recommendations made in the Commission’s report and the best way to deliver them.

National Holocaust Memorial Centre and Learning Service

Baroness Deech: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to their report Britain’s Promise to Remember: The Prime Minister’s Holocaust Commission Report, published in January 2015, what progress they have made on implementing the recommendation that a physical campus with a lecture theatre, classrooms and offices should be developed as part of the “world-class learning centre” co-located with the National Holocaust Memorial.

Lord Greenhalgh: Proposals for a national Holocaust Memorial and Learning Centre at Victoria Tower Gardens, including space for lectures and seminars, are the subject of a planning application which is currently under consideration.

National Holocaust Memorial Centre and Learning Service: Location

Baroness Deech: To ask Her Majesty's Government what (1) consultation, and (2) site comparison, they undertook in relation to the proposed National Holocaust Memorial and Learning Centre between 13 January 2016 when the UK Holocaust Memorial Foundation recommended a location for that centre and the Prime Minister’s announcement on 27 January 2016 that the chosen location was Victoria Tower Gardens.

Lord Greenhalgh: The UK Holocaust Memorial Foundation conducted a very extensive comparison of possible sites before recommending Victoria Tower Gardens. The Government agreed with the Foundation that Victoria Tower Gardens is the most fitting site. Public consultations were held once designs for the proposed Memorial were available: initially on ten shortlisted designs, and then on the detailed proposals which were put forward for planning consent.

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

Bivalve Molluscs: Imports

Lord Berkeley: To ask Her Majesty's Government what representations they plan to make to the EU, if any, to remove its ban on the import of live molluscs from the UK.

Lord Goldsmith of Richmond Park: It is wholly unacceptable that the European Commission has changed its position regarding the export of live bivalve molluscs from Class B waters. There is no scientific or technical justification for this, and it is already impacting businesses on both sides of the channel. We are publishing a series of correspondence between Defra and the European Commission, which clearly reinforces our position.The Secretary of State has written to Commissioner Kyriakides. We continue to seek urgent resolution with the European Commission, and we have offered to provide reasonable additional reassurances to demonstrate shellfish health, on the understanding that the Commission must recognise the existing high standards and history of UK-EU trade.

Environment Bill

Baroness Hayman of Ullock: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the announcement of delays to the consideration of the Environment Bill, what assessment they have made of the impact on the proposed deadline of 31 October 2022 in that Bill for establishing long-term environmental targets; and what steps they are taking, if any, to ensure that such deadlines are met if the Bill has not been given Royal Assent by 31 October 2022.

Lord Goldsmith of Richmond Park: The Environment Bill requires that Statutory Instruments setting out the targets must be brought forwards by 31 October 2022 and will come into force once approved by Parliament. Work is continuing to meet this deadline. We will continue to develop targets through the robust, evidence-led process set out in our policy paper, published in August 2020. This timetable is unaffected by the pause to the Bill. This process seeks independent expert advice, provides a role for stakeholders and the public, as well as scrutiny from Parliament. We are working towards a public consultation that will include proposed targets and an assessment of their impacts in early 2022.

Zoonoses

Lord Jones of Cheltenham: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of any correlation between the conditions in which livestock used for meat are kept and the emergence of novel zoonotic diseases.

Lord Gardiner of Kimble: The Government’s assessment is that different types of farming systems can be managed in a professional way as long as they have good biosecurity plans and housing systems to reduce disease transmission.

Environmental Land Management Scheme

The Lord Bishop of St Albans: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to ensure that farmers involved in the Environmental Land Management Scheme are adequately compensated for the impact of introducing nature-based solutions on future flood risk on their land.

Lord Gardiner of Kimble: We are working with stakeholders and end users to determine the specific land management actions that will be paid for under the Environmental Land Management scheme. We will set out more details on this later this year. The Path to Sustainable Farming: An Agricultural Transition Plan 2021 to 2024’ set out examples of the types of actions that we envisage paying for under the Environmental Land Management scheme. This included the potential to contribute to reducing the risk of harm from environmental hazards such as flooding with natural flood management. We will set out more details on what the Environmental Land Management scheme will pay for this later this year. We are in the process of developing our approach to making payments under the scheme. We recognise that providing the right level of payment to participants will be critical to this. We are therefore exploring how best to balance providing a fair payment to farmers and ensuring delivery of environmental objectives, against maximising value for money and respecting our international obligations. We will also set out more details on this later this year.

Zoonoses

Lord Jones of Cheltenham: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of any trend in the number of novel zoonotic diseases that have occurred over the past 30 years; and what steps, if any, they intend to take in response to any such assessment.

Lord Gardiner of Kimble: There are a number of published studies on the emergence of zoonotic diseases (such as Jones et al. (2008) Nature 451: 990-993), and Defra has contributed to the peer review of the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES) report, an expert opinion of the role of biodiversity and pandemic emergence. Defra works within a ‘One Health’ approach. This means working across a range of disciplines, recognising that people, animals and plants share one environment and are all interconnected. Defra’s Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA) routinely carries out surveillance on farms for zoonotic pathogens. It has significant surveillance programmes for tuberculosis, avian influenza, salmonella, brucellosis and anti-microbial resistance.We respond promptly to outbreaks to minimise the impacts of zoonotic disease associated with farming and farmed products. The Human Animal Infections & Risk Surveillance group is a cross-government technical group who analyse and assess the risks for new and emerging zoonotic diseases.

Water Abstraction

The Lord Bishop of St Albans: To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to encourage the abstraction of high flow water to reduce the amount of surplus rainwater being wasted.

Lord Goldsmith of Richmond Park: The Environment Agency has worked with abstractors and the National Farmers Union (NFU) to temporarily abstract flood water to fill large reservoirs, subject to it not causing derogation to existing licensed abstractors or creating any environmental risk or damage. Where abstractors applied to take more water than their current licensed quantities, the Environment Agency assessed these as one off requests and asked abstractors to apply to vary their licences to properly reflect their needs and provide access to this water in the future. The temporary period of high flow abstraction ended on the 7 February. The Environment Agency has so far only received 5 applications, of which 3 were approved. This reflects the fact that most farm reservoirs are already full due to the wet winter and saturated soil conditions. The NFU does not anticipate any further requests from their members to extend the period of high flow abstraction beyond this date. This initiative follows on from the so called ‘flexible abstraction’ approach that the Environment Agency implemented over the last few years to help farmers with water availability during prolonged dry weather, including refilling reservoirs outside of licensed abstraction periods when river flows were sufficiently high to protect other abstractors and the environment. We highlighted the potential of high flow abstraction to help abstractors improve access to water in our Water Abstraction Plan, published in 2017. Since then the Environment Agency has undertaken trials to investigate its feasibility. It has published results in the relevant Abstraction Licensing Strategies, for the Lincolnshire Witham and the East Midlands Idle and Torne. In the Witham Catchment, it concluded that high flow abstraction could be used to fill reservoirs throughout the year. However, in the Idle and Torne catchment, it concluded that high flows are important for controlling sedimentation and that more evidence would be needed before any high flow abstraction licences could be granted. The Environment Agency will continue to consider applications for new and varied abstraction licences on a case-by-case basis to ensure maximum access to water is possible whilst protecting the rights of other abstractors and the environment.

Home Office

George Taylor

Lord Roberts of Llandudno: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they have received any representations over the past 30 yearsin relationto thedeath of George Taylor following a bomb explosion in Abergele on 1 July 1969; and if so, (1) from whom they received any such representations, and (2) what was their response in each case.

Lord Greenhalgh: An answer to the question by the Noble Lord cannot be obtained as to do so would be at a disproportionate cost to the Department.We would in any event be unable to confirm with certainty what representations were received in the last 30 years, as it is possible that such representations would have been destroyed in accordance with information retention and disposal schedules.

Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office

Tristan Da Cunha: EU External Trade

Lord Jones of Cheltenham: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to support the government of Tristan da Cunha in any future negotiations for a trade agreement with the EU.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: The Government is fully committed to supporting the Overseas Territories and we will continue to do all we can to protect their interests. The impact of the UK's departure from the EU is different for each territory, including the introduction of tariff on exports from the Overseas Territories. Tristan da Cunha's primary export of rock lobster to the EU is currently not subject to tariffs. Fish and coffee exports from St Helena are not significantly impacted. The Government will continue to work with the territories to mitigate against the impact of tariffs, as well as taking up the benefits of the UK's independent trade policy.

St Helena: EU External Trade

Lord Jones of Cheltenham: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to support the government of Saint Helena in any future negotiations to secure market access for the export of (1) fish, and (2) coffee products to the EU.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: The Government is fully committed to supporting the Overseas Territories and we will continue to do all we can to protect their interests. The impact of the UK’s departure from the EU is different for each territory, including the introduction of tariff on exports from the Overseas Territories. Tristan da Cunha’s primary export of rock lobster to the EU is currently not subject to tariffs. Fish and coffee exports from St Helena are not significantly impacted. The Government will continue to work with the territories to mitigate against the impact of tariffs, as well as taking up the benefits of the UK’s independent trade policy.

Cabinet Office

Local Government: Elections

Lord Rennard: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the reply by theLord Privy Seal (Baroness Evans of Bowes Park) on 28 January (HL Deb col 1804), whether the Minister for the Constitution and Devolution received evidence from (1) NHS England, (2) the Department for Health and Social Care, and (3) the Chief Scientific and Medical Officers, prior to issuing the letter on campaign leaflets to political parties on 22 January.

Lord Rennard: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the reply by theLord Privy Seal (Baroness Evans of Bowes Park) on 28 January (HL Deb col 1804), what was the basis for the advice on local election campaign leafletsin relation (1) to leaflets delivered byvolunteers, (2) to leaflets delivered by Royal Mail and other commercial organisations, and (3) to volunteers delivering COVID-19 safety information.

Lord Rennard: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the reply by theLord Privy Seal (Baroness Evans of Bowes Park) on 28 January (HL Deb col 1804), what representations they received from members of political parties prior to issuing the letter on campaign leaflets on 22 January.

Lord True: Democracy should not be cancelled because of covid. As outlined in my Written Ministerial Statement of 8 February 2021 (HLWS766), the Government has confirmed that the set of council, mayor and Police and Crime Commissioner elections scheduled for May will go ahead, and made a firm commitment that the Government will support the sector to deliver them.The Government has published a clear Delivery Plan for the May elections, setting out how the Government will support local elections teams to deliver effective polls that are covid-secure for voters and staff.Current National Lockdown restrictions in England do not support door-to-door campaigning or leafleting by individual political party activists. However, campaigning is an essential part of democracy. Voters deserve to be well informed before going to the polls and there must be a level playing field for candidates. Further information on campaigning guidance and the interaction with prevailing covid restrictions will be issued in due course and well in advance of the polls.

Treasury

Sub-Saharan Africa: Bank Services

Baroness Anelay of St Johns: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the end of the transition period for the UK's departure from the EU, what steps have theytaken to review the terms and conditions of the EU Payment Services Directive; and what assessment they have made of how they can support greater competition and transparency in the market for money transfer companies in Sub-Saharan Africa.

Lord Agnew of Oulton: HM Treasury is leading a Payments Landscape Review. The review aims to ensure the UK maintains its status as a country at the cutting edge of payments technology. The review is looking at what can be done across government, regulators and industry to ensure that the UK’s regulatory framework and infrastructure for payments remains world leading. HM Treasury issued the Payments Landscape Review Call for Evidence in July 2020 and it closed in October 2020. The Call for Evidence sought views on a range of opportunities and risks in UK payments, including for cross-border payments. The government is considering the responses and will set out next steps in due course. Increasing competition and transparency is important to driving remittances innovation leading to consumers having better services and reduced costs. FCDO through the Harnessing Innovation for Financial Inclusion programme is focused on enhancing competition, transparency, and efficiency of the remittances market working across 18 African countries and is conducting research on key UK remittance corridors in Africa to understand what actions could lower the cost of remittances from the UK.

Social Security Benefits: EU Nationals

Lord Black of Brentwood: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to put in place a rebate system for employers resident in the UK and workers from EU countries that chose not to join the EU–UK Social Security Coordination Agreement before 31 January.

Lord Agnew of Oulton: The Trade and Cooperation Agreement reached with the EU includes social security provisions that have practical benefits for UK and EU citizens travelling between the UK and EU. These provisions support business and trade by ensuring that cross-border workers and their employers are only liable to pay social security contributions in one state at a time. All Member States have expressed their wish to opt-in to apply the detached worker provision. This means that workers moving temporarily between the UK and the EU will continue to pay social security contributions in their home state.

Musical Instruments: Customs

Lord Black of Brentwood: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether (1) customs declarations are, or (2) an ATA Carnet is, required for the movement of musical instruments and equipment between Great Britain and Northern Ireland.

Lord Agnew of Oulton: No export or exit declarations are required for goods leaving Great Britain (GB) for Northern Ireland (NI). On entry into NI from GB, if musical instruments and equipment are to be used for commercial purposes, some additional process is required, as with other goods. If they are accompanied (for example, if contained in a passenger’s baggage) then the person carrying them will be deemed to have made a declaration by conduct. If the instruments and equipment are not accompanied (for example, they are carried as freight) then a declaration will be required. Most goods in free circulation in Northern Ireland – including musical instruments and equipment – currently benefit from unfettered access to GB, such that no customs declarations are required either on exit from NI or entry to GB. ATA Carnets are an option for temporarily moving goods between the UK, EU and NI. Use of an ATA Carnet is generally a commercial decision based on cost effectiveness and an individual’s/business’s circumstances.

Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport

Performing Arts: Equality

Lord Taylor of Warwick: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on gender equality within the performing arts sector.

Baroness Barran: Her Majesty’s Government has not made a specific assessment of the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on gender equality within the performing arts sector. However, the Department for Culture, Digital, Media and Sport is committed to working closely with the Governments Equalities Office to improve equality across our sectors, promoting gender equality in the performing arts sector.All guidance related to the performing arts sector during the COVID-19 pandemic undergoes a PSED (Public Sector Equality Duty) review each time it is updated. We are also duty bound to ensure that we consider impacts of new legislation on people of protected characteristics.Additionally, we have been working to ensure that diversity is embedded in the Culture Recovery Fund. In the first round of funding, the ALBs making funding decisions looked for a track record of delivering social benefit and welcoming diverse audiences. For the second round of funding, we asked applicants to inform us of their plans to open up access and participation in culture. Organisations in receipt of funding are expected to demonstrate progress in diversity and outreach over the coming years in return for this investment into their futures.We know that reports, such as that published by Women in Theatre, which brings together some of the major recent research on women in theatre, is looking into gender inequality in the theatre sector. The report can be found here: https://sphinxtheatre.co.uk/new-women-in-theatre-forum-report/ Women in Theatre Forum Report (pdf, 244.4KB)

Betting

Baroness Mallalieu: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have (1) to consider, and (2) to publish, an impact assessment on industries interlinked with the UK betting sector before implementing the affordability checks proposed by the Gambling Commission.

Baroness Barran: The Gambling Commission’s consultation and call for evidence on Remote Customer Interaction closed on 9th February. The Commission is currently considering responses and will be led by the evidence it received in deciding next steps. It would be for the Gambling Commission to consider the appropriate impact assessment, depending on what action it decides to take following the consultation, in line with Business Impact Target Assessment requirements.

Social Media: Racial Harassment

Lord Austin of Dudley: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the way in which social media companies deal with racist abuse directed at footballers.

Baroness Barran: The Culture Secretary and Sports Minister recently led a roundtable discussion with current and former players from the Premier League, English Football League (EFL), Women’s Super League (WSL) and Women’s Championship, which discussed online racist abuse and players’ perspectives on tackling discrimination in the game.We are clear that the online racist abuse of football players is unacceptable. We must do all we can to tackle it. We are taking steps through the online harms regulatory framework to ensure that online abuse, whether anonymous or not, is addressed. Under a new legal duty of care, companies will need to remove and limit the spread of illegal content, including illegal online abuse. All companies will need to take swift and effective action against such content.The police have a range of legal powers to identify individuals who attempt to use anonymity to escape sanctions for online abuse, where the activity is illegal. The government is working with law enforcement to review whether the current powers are sufficient to tackle illegal anonymous abuse online. The outcome of that work will inform the government’s future position in relation to illegal anonymous online abuseCompanies providing high-risk, high-reach services will also need to undertake regular risk assessments to identify legal but harmful material on their services. These companies will need to set clear terms and conditions which explicitly state what categories of legal but harmful material they accept (and do not accept) on their service. Companies will need to enforce these terms and conditions consistently and transparently and could face enforcement action if they do not. The Online Safety Bill, which will give effect to the regulatory framework, will be ready this year.

Social Media: Racial Harassment

Lord Austin of Dudley: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessmentthey have made of the cooperation of social media companies with the police onincidents ofonline racist abuse.

Baroness Barran: The Culture Secretary and Sports Minister recently led a roundtable discussion with current and former players from the Premier League, English Football League (EFL), Women’s Super League (WSL) and Women’s Championship, which discussed online racist abuse and players’ perspectives on tackling discrimination in the game.We are clear that the online racist abuse of football players is unacceptable. We must do all we can to tackle it. We are taking steps through the online harms regulatory framework to ensure that online abuse, whether anonymous or not, is addressed. Under a new legal duty of care, companies will need to remove and limit the spread of illegal content, including illegal online abuse. All companies will need to take swift and effective action against such content.The police have a range of legal powers to identify individuals who attempt to use anonymity to escape sanctions for online abuse, where the activity is illegal. The government is working with law enforcement to review whether the current powers are sufficient to tackle illegal anonymous abuse online. The outcome of that work will inform the government’s future position in relation to illegal anonymous online abuseCompanies providing high-risk, high-reach services will also need to undertake regular risk assessments to identify legal but harmful material on their services. These companies will need to set clear terms and conditions which explicitly state what categories of legal but harmful material they accept (and do not accept) on their service. Companies will need to enforce these terms and conditions consistently and transparently and could face enforcement action if they do not. The Online Safety Bill, which will give effect to the regulatory framework, will be ready this year.

Entertainers: EU Countries

Lord Black of Brentwood: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the UK–EU Trade and Cooperation Agreement and the changes to the level of mobility and bureaucracy for touring performers, what plans they have to provide additional funding for the performing arts sector to mitigate against any potential (1) additional costs, and (2) loss of work, for such performers.

Baroness Barran: We know that while leaving the EU will bring changes and new processes to touring and working in the EU, it will also bring new opportunities. Leaving the EU has always meant that there would be changes to how practitioners operate in the EU. Going forward we will continue to work closely with the sector, including with representative organisations, to assess the impact and to ensure businesses and individuals have the advice and guidance they need to meet new requirements. This includes the creation of a DCMS-led working group to bring together sector leads and other government departments to look at the issues facing these sectors when touring in the EU and explore what further steps could be taken to support them. This Government recognises the importance of our world leading creative and cultural industries. That is why it provided an unprecedented £1.57bn package of support to help these sectors through the COVID-19 pandemic. To date over £1 billion has been awarded to over 3000 organisations, with 75,000 jobs saved so far, and many more freelancers also benefiting from new work that can now be created. This demonstrates our firm commitment to ensuring that UK culture continues to thrive.